5 second chance stars Just Remember to Breathe is a stunning and heartwarming story about getting a second chance with your first love. I devoured it. Another amazing addition to the Thompson Sisters series. Alex Thompson and Dylan Paris couldn’t come from a more different background, but that didn’t stop them from falling for one another. On a high school trip out of the country, they met. They live in different parts of the US, they both knew it would be near impossible to sustain a relationship after their trip, but they couldn’t fight the feelings they were developing for one another. Their connection was too strong.Life took these two in different directions. They kept in contact and stayed as ‘together’ as they could with the distance for sometime. Dylan was in Afghanistan, Alex at college. Their off and on relationship became completely off after a misunderstanding caused Dylan to cut off all ties with Alex while he was over seas. Now he’s back. In the US. At the same college as Alex. And they both get assigned to the same work study program.Alex remembers how much she fell for Dylan and still cares. I can tell you the moment I first fell in love with Dylan Paris. “You still smell like strawberries, and it’s breaking my heart.” Being around each other isn’t an easy thing. Alex is determined to be a friend to Dylan. But she needs to know. What happened to them? Why did he cut her off? Even though Dylan is upset for what he thinks happened while he was away, he can’t control how he feels about Alex. How he’s always felt. They decide to be friends again. Ask questions, learn about each other and what they missed while they were apart. “There’s a side benefit to this. We get to learn about each other, get to know each other, all over again.” His voice dropped to a husky near whisper, and he leaned close and said next to my ear, “We get to fall in love all over again, for the second time. How cool is that?” Watching Alex and Dylan reconnect was the most beautiful thing. Dylan has been through a lot. He suffers from PTSD, healing from his injuries etc, but Alex doesn’t care about any of that. She jogs with him, wants him to let her in. He is hesitant. He’s not the same guy he was before he went off to war. Alex doesn’t care. She wants to be there for him and with him. She lost him once, she won’t do it again. She doesn’t want a future without him. “You don't get to decide what's to big a risk for me. You don't decide what's good for me and what isn't. That's my decision, Dylan. If you care about me so much, then how dare you do this all by yourself? I choose not to destroy my present because of the risk of a future that might or might not happen.You should think about that.” How can Dylan resist the one person who’s made him a better man, who makes him come to life? I fell in love with this story and the characters. Dylan had his struggles, but Alex was the strength he needed to get through. There were so many memorable and meaningful words that made think. How do you say the words ‘I’m sorry’ and have them mean something? The dual point of view was nice. I especially loved getting inside Dylan’s head and seeing where he was at, what he was going through. As much as I loved Dylan, Alex was an amazing heroine. Her strength, supportiveness and willingness to forgive and love astounded me. This is a couple you will root for. Charles Sheehan-Miles is a very talented author. Each book I read of his, I highlight endlessly. There are so many beautiful and moving lines, I just can’t help myself. I get sucked into the lives of these amazing characters. If you haven’t read this series, I can’t recommend it enough. I want to jump into the third book right away (Sherman and Carrie- can’t wait to read about them!) but I might wait a few weeks, drag it out. I don’t want these Thompson sister’s books to end! “I'd rather have a lifetime of heartache, from you breaking my heart, than even imagine my life without you at all. Because a life without you wouldn't be a life at all.”